DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT OF KINK FREE INTRAVENOUS INFUSION MEDICAL DEVICE

Abstract

"Intravenous Infusion has been commonly used to deliver fluids and medication throughout the body and is known as one of the fastest route employed. The standard infusion device will include an infusion bag, drip control, infusion tubing and a syringe. A common problem associated with the device is “kinking” which always occurs at the tubing. Investigation has shown that the problem occurs mainly at the U-shaped bend near the catheter. As a consequence, it will affect the flow and in extreme cases stop the fluid from being delivered to the patient. Market research has been conducted on the products available using two methods, either by the change of the material used in the tubing or designing a device that is attached to prevent kinking.

The objective of this study is to develop a medical device or a method that will prevent kinking in the infusion tubing. The final design of the prototype was a two-clamp holder at each side with a circular rod in the middle. The tube near to the drip catheter is being connected to one end of the clamp while the other of the tube is connected at a distance forming a U-Shaped bend. The structure of the U-shaped bend is fixed by the good grip of the clamp to prevent kinking. The benefits of this device were the low cost, simplicity and user friendly. The only shortfall is the diameter of the clamp is fixed which can only cater to a specific external diameter of the infusion tubing."